Sigma 30mm f/1.4 overview

The 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM Art Lens for Sony from Sigma is a prime lens designed for Sony APS-C format cameras. Its 35mm focal length equivalent is 45mm which places it in the category of standard focal length lenses. With its particularly fast maximum aperture of f/1.4, the lens will perform very well in low light situations and provides shallow depth of field focus. With updated optical configurations (9 elements in 8 groups), as well as rounded aperture blades, the lens delivers sharp detail and nice background bokeh. Its minimum focus distance is 11.8" (30 cm).

The lens’ optimized light distribution helps to minimize field curvature preventing a loss of image quality at the edges of photographs and its double-sided aspherical lens element minimizes spherical distortion. A rear focusing system combined with a newly developed autofocus algorithm and Hyper Sonic Motor provide smooth and accurate autofocus. Fulltime manual focus is also supported.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 reviews

30mm f/1.4 DC HSM Art Lens for Sony is rated
4.9 out of
5 by
7.

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Robert Armstrong Photo LLC from
Art NoirThis is my go-to lens. I have had it for just a few days but I love it. Spectacular - amazing. Great sharpness and very pleasing Bokeh. The construction is very sold but the lens is not too heavy. I like this lens much ore than the Sigma 35mm Art lens, which I found to be soft and slow to focus, especially in low light. This lens turned in a great performance on both my A77 and A65. This is a huge step forward over the older 30mm version.

Date published: 2014-04-05

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Wilyam from
So far so good!After getting tired of the expensive and low aperture of the Sony E-Mounts, I decided to start my migration to SLT. I am using this on a Sony NEX-7 with LA-EA2 adapter, which makes the mirrorless camera look like a beast. As a beginner in photography I had found this lens difficult to use at first, however after a good week of use and experimentation I have learned from it and now can say that I am getting sharp images when stopped down and smooth bokeh when wide open. It shows CA at F/1.4 but that goes away at F/2.8, and even at that aperture, the bokeh is still smooth. I really can't wait till spring gets warmer so I can take this out for some nature and street shoots. Build quality is solid. I love the feel, the coldness of the metal parts. I would have to mention, the autofocus does not work with the LA-EA1, it's just hunts and hunts. You can manually focus however. The camera did disable the DMF function when this lens is attached, but it still maintains the focus peaking feature.

Date published: 2014-04-06

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Phu from
Great lens, happy with the purchasedthe picture comes out unbelievable background defocus look just like paint, and focus object pop like 3D. I love it.

Date published: 2015-10-07

Rated 5 out of
5 by
R. Didier from
Exellent product, I love itAutofocus pretty fast, very good performance on low light scenarios.

Date published: 2015-12-18

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Martin from
I just love it.I wanted one real fast 50mm eq lens and it got it. Build solid and feel good in your hand. Great pictures with my Sony A77 and A77ii. I love using it. Well done Sigma, high value for the price.

Date published: 2014-12-13

Rated 5 out of
5 by
MartinBrossman from
This is an outstanding lensSolid feel in your hands. Well made, sharp and a joy to own and use.

Date published: 2014-12-13

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Srinivas from
Best walkaround prime for Sony APS-C A-mountThe lens has very good build quality and feels like a premium product. Produces excellent bokeh, better than the Sony DT 35mm 1.8 which has slightly pronounced outer edges. Bokeh is also better than the Tamron 35mm 1.8 VC, which has onion ring patterns. Coming to sharpness, the lens is similar to the DT 35mm 1.8 and the Tamron in terms of center sharpness even at 1.4. The far corners are little soft compared to the DT 35mm 1.8, but that should not be a concern as you will not be shooting landscapes wide open at 1.4 and corner sharpness gets good after f4.0. Images lack some contrast when shot between 1.4 to 2.0, however, this can be fixed in post. Overall, this lens produces the best bokeh for a 50mm equivalent lens for Sony APS-C A-mount. My copy had no focusing issues and did not need any adjustments out of box. However, there have been complaints about the lens having front or back focus issues from other users. Please check for focusing issues as soon as you get the lens and swap it for another copy or send it to Sigma for recalibration. It is definitely worth taking the risk because the lens is that good, if you get a good copy. Front and back focusing is common place with lenses designed for dedicated phase detect cameras (DSLRs and SLTs). I have had both by Zeiss 50mm 1.4 and Zeiss 24mm 2.0 lens have back focus issues, despite their very high premium price. They now work great after I got them calibrated for free from Sony Service.